Set up passcode authentication

Turn on passcode authentication so users can sign in at a secured printer with a passcode instead of a card. You choose the passcode format and how long passcodes stay valid, and users get their passcode through Print Scout, the User Portal or the mobile app. For background, see How passcode authentication works.

Before you begin

  • You have administrator access to the web console.
  • Your organization authenticates print users with OpenID Connect or SAML, and that provider is already working. Passcodes aren’t available with Internal or Active Directory authentication. See User Authentication Providers.
  • You’ve decided how long passcodes should stay valid. If you’re not sure, see How passcode expiry works.

Steps

1

Turn on passcode release

Passcode authentication is off by default. Turning it on lets users sign in at printers with a passcode and lets HP Insights start issuing passcodes.

  1. Go to Secure > Settings > Passcode Settings.
  2. Turn on Enable Passcode Release.
2

Set the passcode format

The format controls what passcodes look like. Longer passcodes, and passcodes that mix letters and numbers, are harder to guess, but take users longer to enter at the printer.

  1. In Character complexity, choose Numeric, Alphabetic or Alphanumeric. Numeric passcodes are the easiest to enter on a printer keypad.
  2. In Passcode length, enter a length between 6 and 10 characters.
3

Choose when passcodes expire

In Passcode Expiry, select the option that matches how your organization uses passcodes:

  • Never Expires, if the passcode is a long-term alternative to a card. This is the default.
  • Expires in 15 Minutes, if users should generate a passcode, use it once and then forget it.
  • Expires in X Days, if users should replace their passcode regularly. Enter a number of days between 1 and 365.

Your choice also decides whether users get expiry reminders. Only passcodes that expire after a number of days produce reminders. For the full rules, see Passcode settings and limits.

4

Make sure printers offer passcode sign-in

Users enter their passcode through Printer Sign-In. When your organization uses OpenID Connect or SAML, the printer sign-in screen asks for a passcode instead of a username and password. If you haven’t deployed Printer Sign-In to your printers yet, do that now. See Deploy Printer Sign-In.

5
Optional

Make sure users can get expiry reminders

If passcodes expire after a number of days, Print Scout and the HP Secure Print mobile app remind users before and after their passcode expires, so they aren’t caught out at the printer. There’s nothing to turn on in the web console for this. Users with the mobile app get reminders there. On workstations, users get reminders as long as they run a supported version of Print Scout:

  • Expiry reminders need Windows Print Scout 8.2 or later, or Mac Print Scout 2.30 or later.
  • The Do not remind me again option in Print Scout reminders needs Windows Print Scout 8.5 or later, or Mac Print Scout 3.0 or later. The HP Secure Print mobile app offers this option from version 3.2.0.

See Print Scout version requirements.

6

Tell users how to get their passcode

Users who sign in through Print Scout get a passcode automatically the first time they sign in. Users without Print Scout can generate one in the User Portal or the HP Secure Print mobile app.

Make sure users know that the passcode is shown only once and isn’t sent by email, so they need to save it somewhere safe. If they lose it, they can reset it themselves.

You can point users to these topics:

Result

Passcode authentication is turned on. Users can sign in at secured printers with their passcode and release their print jobs. To check, get a passcode for a test account, for example by generating one in the User Portal, then use it to sign in at a printer and release a job.

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